Strength of ratcheting straps for carport/shade tiedown

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:38 pm

Harbor Freight would seem the ideal place to pick these up, but does anyone have an idea of loads that could be possible in alpha conditions (well, of course one should, if they could, release the roof, but just sayin',,,)

I guess I'm asking if anyone has ever had a failure of straps?

Some are 400lb, some 500lb, some 1000lb, but after using many varieties of straps for various things, I believe it may just boil down to the choice of 1", or 1.5" or 2" wide strapping.

I believe the 1000lb in the pic is excessive, the one with the handle, but would the 1" 400lb be sufficient?

And, would the stress's in alpha be more concentrated in the "X" brace straps or the "down the legs" straps?
In other words, should different strength straps be used for each purpose?

Thanks

straps.JPG

straps2.JPG

Post by **Sham** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:35 am

I think the 400lb. ones are not beefy enough for securing down a shade structure. I have found they tend to stretch during their first uses and need to be tightened several times over the week. I have seen the lighter ones fail and rip, but only when tying down solid objects on vehicles.
I also found that most everything at Harbor Freight is made to be inexpensive as opposed to longevity and quality.

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:58 am

[quote="Sham"]
I also found that most everything at Harbor Freight is made to be inexpensive as opposed to longevity and quality.[/quote]

Trouble is, I see the some of the straps at Harbor Freight matched by the same exact straps at Home Depot and Lowes.

EspressoDude · Post by **EspressoDude** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:09 am

wider/stronger is better. 1" wide is barely enough to hold a bicycle on the back of a car, and being thin and under tension can cause cuts. Stronger ones may find other uses beyond holding down a carport

mudpuppy000 · Post by **mudpuppy000** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:21 am

You can find some 1000lb snap on straps at costco occasionally. 4 for ~$20 last time I saw them. I use four of those per carport and lag screws in each foot. If I thought the weather was going to get really bad I'd probably add more straps.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:51 am

I agree with "over build" engineering.
There are formulas on line, for calculating wind loads and such.
Knowing they won't be direct, even.

It's just a matter of numbers. if you use lighter ones, use more.
know most things will double rated load, at least for short term. don't depend on it, but that is pretty close.
Just use them at rated load, and overdo it a little.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:00 am

I had some of those 1" straps.

Replaced the strap with 3/4" mule tape rated at 2500 pounds!!!!!!!!!!

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:14 am

FIGJAM wrote:I had some of those 1" straps.

Replaced the strap with 3/4" mule tape rated at 2500 pounds!!!!!!!!!!

But,,,,one would have to learn how to do a trucker's hitch or some other knot!

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:19 am

I used the hardware from the 1" straps and just replaced the strap with the mule tape.

The hardware will fail before the mule tape will.

Token · Post by **Token** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:02 pm

Ratchet straps are not the best solution.

They end up vibrating and resonating quite a bit when it gets windy. The wider they are the worse it gets.

Rope is the best.

Learn how to tie a truckers hitch. It can be tightened as needed.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:28 pm

In my experience, the biggest problem with 1" ratchet straps is that the ratchet mechanism is so flimsy that it fails long before the strap.
To minimize vibration caused by wind, install the strap so there is a 180 degree twist in the strap. (That's one of the first things I learned in trucking three decades ago.)

Token · Post by **Token** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:42 pm

Elliot wrote: To minimize vibration caused by wind, install the strap so there is a 180 degree twist in the strap. (That's one of the first things I learned in trucking three decades ago.)

Pure Gold. Elegant in its brevity!

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:31 pm

Thank you. This describes me exactly -- but I will refrain from pursuing that joke any further.

Fan C · Post by **Fan C** » Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:36 pm

I tie down my carport with mountain climbing accessory cord. I use 6mm as minimum that's rated at a little over 1000lbs. I would recommend using 1000lb rated or higher ratchet straps.

It wasn't all that windy last year but there was a little here and there, and my carport frame didn't even wiggle. I had 14 tie downs of 6mm cord and 3/8"x14" lag bolts and 8 playa staples in the feet. Heck at one point a 250+ lb burner walked into the side and was bounced off like it was an RV.

vantim · Post by **vantim** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 1:04 pm

Has anyone had success using type IV paracord as guylines? They are rated at 750 lbs working strength. I'm thinking of using these for my conduit flat top structure, with a ratchet strap at each corner for redundancy.

Like this:

Fan C · Post by **Fan C** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 3:31 pm

Paracord stretches too much, that's why I use.accessory cord.

vantim · Post by **vantim** » Sat Apr 04, 2015 7:29 pm

Ah, good call! Where do you get the cord that you use?

Fan C · Post by **Fan C** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 1:50 am

vantim wrote:Ah, good call! Where do you get the cord that you use?

I bought a 300' spool a couple years ago on Amazon. I have this cord. http://www.amazon.com/BlueWater-Accesso ... ssory+cord This particular listing only has 30' lengths.

Also I was under estimating the strength it's closer to 2600lbs. I was thinking 6mm it's probably enough for tiedowns at around 1800lbs.

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 2:31 am

vantim wrote:Ah, good call! Where do you get the cord that you use?

I don't know accessory tape, but I just ordered mule tape, as was discussed here earlier.
I love the idea of mule tape vs. ratchet straps, and I figure for six tie downs and three "X" braces on a 12x20 shade structure, all double lengths for the trucker hitches, I'll need about 350feet, so the 500' length is great.

I'm not normally an ebay buyer, but I couldn't find any rolls less than 1000' anywhere else.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151630407545

mule tape.JPG

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:12 am

You don't need double lengths!!!

Secure one end to the structure.

Pull the tape down toward the lag.

Tie a knot with a loop 2 ft. from the lag.

Now you can use your truckers hitch without wasting all that tape!!!

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:19 am

FIGJAM wrote:You don't need double lengths!!!

Secure one end to the structure.

Pull the tape down toward the lag.

Tie a knot with a loop 2 ft. from the lag.

Now you can use your truckers hitch without wasting all that tape!!!

Well, duh on me.
Of course that would work just fine.
DOH!

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:28 am

I went out and did pics!!!

Slip knot to the structure.

Stretched to the anchore.

I like to leave a bow so I can easily untie for retightening!!!

rideincircles · Post by **rideincircles** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:54 am

Just for clarification, would the mule tape work for all tie downs needed then? (hexayurt, carport, tarps, any other shade structures)

I will probably go ahead and buy the roll mentioned above. I plan on getting a box of the 3/8" x 14" lag bolts shortly also.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 9:01 am

I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't.

If you know an electrician, they may give you all you need.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Apr 07, 2015 9:05 am

I tend to put a half hitch lock with the loop in the truckers hitch in the tape......I've seen it have some slip at times. and, it won't cinch unless there is a ton of slip, but, will stop it from coming untied.

silverfish · Post by **silverfish** » Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:32 am

Cam straps for rafting work quite well (Two of them hold a 200 lb cooler and a three people (450lbs) sitting on it in bouncing whitewater) and are reasonably priced. The come in straight, loop, and hook ends ( http://www.nrs.com/category/2882/rafting/straps ). They also have 1.5 inch straps rated for 2,000 lbs. That said accessory cord is going to be a lot cheaper if you need a lot.

rideincircles · Post by **rideincircles** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 9:46 am

I went ahead and got some of the 5/8" mule tape since it was $45 for 1000 feet. The 3/4" x 500 feet was my original plan, but I figure extra length will be worthwhile for gifting if anyone needs any and I can always double up if needed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151641608635

Would 5/8" be too small for ratcheting mechanisms? I think the only place I plan on ratcheting stuff will be for my hexayurt panels on the drive there.

I guess next up will be learning about tying knots.

SourPatch · Post by **SourPatch** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:26 am

Someone mentioned this earlier in this thread... sometimes the ratcheting mechanism will fail before the rope/strap does.

Ditch the ratchet and go with knots as FigJam suggested.

Just_Joe · Post by **Just_Joe** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:52 am

All of you wanna-be Boy Scouts need to remember that most EMT and carport structures don't need to have their guy lines banjo tight. Or even standup bass.
If you tighten one guy line too much your structure can go out of square or even bend.
Make sure you tension them all evenly and just enough to keep them from shifting/lifting.

SourPatch · Post by **SourPatch** » Tue May 19, 2015 2:28 pm

Would you recommend crisscrossing tie downs between the legs of the carport (Top right corner tied to left feet and vice-versa)?

Strength of ratcheting straps for carport/shade tiedown

Strength of ratcheting straps for carport/shade tiedown

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